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Delhi governments odd-even number scheme comes to an end today.

Like most policy


decisions in this country these days, the scheme will be declared a success or a failure
depending not necessarily on the ground realities but on the political affiliations of those
pronouncing the judgement. But let us try and take an objective look at what the 15-day
experiment achieved.

Were there less cars on the roads?


Yes, comparatively, but there were still too many cars around.
Were there as many traffic jams as there normally are?
An unequivocal NO!
Almost empty roads at Dhaula Kuan ring road during odd-even rule in Delhi on Thusday

Was there lesser pollution? Well, the answer to this question is genuinely not easy
because:
1. Vehicular pollution is, perhaps, not the main contributor in Delhi.
2. The number of vehicles is far too high, and add to that those that enter Delhi from the
adjoining cities of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, even with just an odd or even
number, there are still far more than a city should have running on the roads at any time.
3. Most of the pollution meter still showed PM (particulate matter) levels way above
permissible limits
4. Having said that, however, the very fact that thousands of vehicles were not stranded in
long jams as they idled their engines, spewing toxic/noxious emissions in the air, means it is
that much less pollution.
5. So, irrespective of what the pollution meters say, or even those who have decided that
the move was a failure, the scheme would have had a positive impact. It may not be
significant, but to say that it has had zilch impact is being mulish.

Should this move be made permanent?


Left to me, I would perhaps impose far stricter conditions than just the odd-even scheme,
for we seem to take things for granted and always expect the other to do right so that my
future is secure. However, there were several things that can be done to make it better,
such as:
1. Despite having the best metro network in the country, the number of people who need
to be moved is simply not enough that the system can cater to
Commuters at Rajiv Chowk metro station during odd-even rule in Delhi
2. Increasing the number of buses is not easy because the road space is limited. Of course,
you could say that the if more people shed cars for public transport, it automatically would
leave more space for the buses. After all, the space occupied by a bus to transport X
number of people is a fraction of what would be required if the same number were using
private cars, and worse if they werent pooling.
3. Car-pooling obviously is a great idea and people must do it themselves. I am fine if they
do it for economic reasons alone, because that too helps cut pollution. The administration
should also incentivize those who car pool. If there are five people in a car, dont penalize
them. Be happy so many are going together. In fact, if car-pooling were to pick up, there
would be no real need to implement this odd-even scheme. But for that to happen, there
has to be an attitudinal change as well.
4. DO AWAY with so many exemptions. The more the exemptions, the more the chances of
them being misused. Although it was heartening to see a big percentage of people
following rules, the exemptions always leave room for misuse.
a. Most of the places that still saw jams during the past fifteen days, it was where they
were stopping cars for violation. The number of exemptions being so high, each had to be
heard, then there were arguments, resulting in vehicles getting piled up.
Enhance fines, but their implementation should be monitored, for the general belief, as
some say thumb-rule is, higher the fine, greater the bribe rate. Something I wrote about a
few weeks ago in a post Crooked enforcement wont clean Delhis environment, your
own will would

5. Promote electric cars, taxis. Reduce duties on such cars. Make it easier for citizens to
buy them. Give preference to such cars on roads. Incentivise their use by making parking
free, charging points all over, etc.
What else to do to reduce pollution?
There is a lot that has been written about and is documented, but if I were to be asked
what comes to my mind straight away, I would think of the following:
1. Promote Non-Motorised-Transport for short commutes. This is something that is so
simple and easy. Far too many people use cars to commute short distances. They could
easily switch to using public transport, or even bicycles. Sure, many find it unsafe, but that
is something that the local administration has to work at
a. Why cant there be dedicated bike lanes?
b. Of course, in this country, even where there are such lanes, they are taken up by cars
and if there are shops on the roads, for parking for their customers.

2. So, build cycle tracks and ensure they are reserved for them alone. Once that is done,
we could promote them using innovative schemes and concepts like what a few in
Gurgaon and Noida do #Pedal2WorkChallenge. It is like the#IceBucketChallenge of
last year, where, anyone who undertook and completed it challenged five others. This,
with cycling has resulted in at least 100 in Gurgaons IT hub take up the challenge in the
past two months.
3. Set up bike stations which lets you pick up bikes from point A and drop it at Point B or C
or D, for a small fee. For this scheme to succeed, though, the government would need to
provide subsidies. Mind you, these subsidies would be far less than what you actually dole
out for automobiles in one form or the other.
4. Ensure roads are well-maintained. So many places witness jams because a sudden poor
stretch slows everyone. During peak hours, it can result in jams that can be a Km long

5. Ensure builders and contractors do not allow construction dust to fly around. They can
keep the surroundings wet, or under cover. It is common knowledge that a significant
portion of PM is due to construction related dust.
6. Ensure people drive sanely, follow rules. Have always wondered why we just cant
introspect and do it right ourselves. Poor driving etiquette results in so many avoidable
situations. Of course, the authorities who dole out driving licenses to even a Cow or a Cat,
need to be taken to task as well. Someone has to instill fear in them. Right now they think
they are untouchable, as even those who have to prosecute them are involved.
7. Bolster public transport.
8. Do all that is mentioned above under Should this move be made permanent?
In the final analyses, Delhi government deserves credit for thinking of the scheme. If
nothing else, it made all others sit up and take notice. The very fact that several other
state/city administrations, across political spectrum, are willing to experiment with the
scheme shows that all realise the importance of steps to control pollution. However, all of
it would succeed only if we ourselves recognize the gravity of the situation and change
ourselves. Governments can only do as much, we ourselves have to understand that for
our own good, and for the good of our kids and future generations, we have to change.
Endure some hardships, if needed, but unless we do so, we would make this planet, the
only one we have, unlivable for ourselves.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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